David Quammen

This work examines the emergence and causes of new diseases all over the world, describing a process called "spillover" where illness originates in wild animals before being passed to humans and discusses the potential for the next huge pandemic. The emergence of strange new diseases is a frightening problem that seems to be getting worse. In this age of speedy travel, it threatens a worldwide pandemic. We hear news reports of Ebola, SARS, AIDS,...

"Nonpareil science writer David Quammen explains how recent discoveries in molecular biology can change our understanding of evolution and life's history, with powerful implications for human health and even our own human nature." -- Publisher annotation.

The author laments the decline of the big predators--animals that are capable of stalking and killing humans--wondering how our psyches will be affected when the last of these creatures is safely ensconced in a zoo.

Traces the twenty-one-year period between Charles Darwin's original idea about natural selection and the publication of "On the Origin of Species, " in an account that offers insight into his experiences as a cautious naturalist.

An urban teenager journeys to Montana to hunt big game with his estranged father. Father and son struggle to connect, until a brutal encounter in the heart of the wilderness changes everything.